Dive Brief:
- A new law in California will help Los Angeles find space to securely store recreational vehicles formerly inhabited by people experiencing homelessness while they receive housing support and services.
- AB 2525, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 27, allows the city to lease property for RV storage from the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, at a reduced rate, an action state law already allows for emergency shelter or feeding programs.
- “RV encampments pose a range of tactical and logistical challenges that require legislative and regulatory fixes,” LA Mayor Karen Bass, who sponsored the bill, said in a statement. “This bill will help us move RVs out of neighborhoods and bring more Angelenos into housing in a faster and cheaper way.”
Dive Insight:
Los Angeles allows people to sleep in vehicles, but only on some streets. As the number of RVs on the city’s roads proliferates, some public officials and residents have complained that they blight and pollute neighborhoods and attract crime.
When those living in RVs are offered interim housing, they may not want to abandon their vehicles, which they worry they might need again. Los Angeles has 325 RV parking spaces, which were almost completely filled at the beginning of this year, according to an analysis of the California bill. California’s new law will help LA find more space to store those vehicles. Under the law, the city can lease Caltrans property for $1 a month for such use.
The state’s move adds to Los Angeles’ actions to address the growth of people who are experiencing homelessness and living in RVs. In August, the LA City Council voted unanimously to order city agencies to devise recommendations for a citywide approach to limit RV parking. The program would also provide restrooms, septic waste removal, housing assistance and other services in certain areas, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Los Angeles city and county governments and local service providers also are implementing Mayor Bass’ Inside Safe initiative, which entails clearing encampments and connecting unhoused people with services and housing.
These efforts come as the state cracks down on unsheltered homelessness, with Newsom threatening this summer to take away funding from local governments that don’t clear encampments of people experiencing homelessness. It also follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that clears the way for local governments to enforce anti-camping laws.
